After my PD catheter has healed, how much weight can I lift. I like to fish and my trolling motor battery weighs 44.5 lbs. I am hoping that is not a problem. I am a predialysis polycystic kidney patient trying to figure out which is the best type of home dialysis is best for my wife and I, Automated PD or Home Hemodilysis using NxStage.
Hi wmjtow13,
Wow, 44 lbs. does sound pretty heavy. The risk with PD is that heavy lifting (or straining to have a BM) increases your intraabdominal pressure, which could lead to a leak or a hernia. Do you go fishing with a buddy? If two of you lift the motor, it might be alright. It’s certainly possible that if you’re in good enough shape to lift that motor by yourself, that maybe it won’t be a problem for you. Your doctor and/or PD nurse should give you some guidance about how heavy is too heavy. So, please do ask them.
PD is an excellent first treatment for a number of reasons that we outline in our original article you can read here: http://www.homedialysis.org/resources/tom/200602/. You can also read our article about choosing a treatment–maybe it will help you sort out the pros and cons: http://www.homedialysis.org/resources/tom/200604/. Speaking of pros and cons, we have a comparison chart that might be useful for you: http://www.homedialysis.org/learn/pdf/ModalityComparison.pdf. And, of course, you can always change treatment options if you find that the one you pick is no longer working for you or your situation changes.
The bottom line is, you’re fortunate to have so many options, and the chances are good that you can find one that will allow you to maintain your lifestyle–including fishing!